


PART ONE: Holland Valley

by nottie



Series: A Captain, a Deputy, a Judge [2]
Category: Far Cry 5, Far Cry: New Dawn
Genre: Canon Rewrite, Mental Health Issues, POV Alternating, Slow Burn, a very very very slow burn, somewhat canon compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:21:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25279189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nottie/pseuds/nottie
Summary: Bishop, the Captain of Security, tries to get used to the silent Judge's constant presence, while the Judge confronts ghosts of her past.This is part 1 to the story A Captain, a Deputy, a Judge. I recommend reading the prologue first, it sets some of the major canon changes I've done. In short, this story intends to rewrite parts of FCND while re-telling the story of the Junior Deputy in FC5. Starring the Captain of Security Bishop and the Junior Deputy Dinah Castle.
Relationships: Captain of Security/Deputy | Judge (Far Cry), Deputy | Judge/John Seed
Series: A Captain, a Deputy, a Judge [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1818412
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	1. Chapter 1

#### The Captain 

The car Bishop is hiding behind has been stripped out of its parts and painted screaming pink, but even in its state the car manages to hold the bullets coming her way. The cartridge of Bishop’s trusted rusty is empty, so she tosses it away. Instead, she fumbles for her shotgun that has been strapped to her back.

The firing stops, but when she peeks from behind the car yet another bullet flies right beside her ear. She dives back behind the stripped-down car and swears out loud. This could have gone a _lot_ better. The Refinery has proven to be much more trouble than the two had signed up for, and the Judge had been driven into a corner on the other side of the outpost just a few moments ago.

They had left the New Eden compound a week ago. Instead of heading straight back to Prosperity, Bishop had chosen to take a longer route. She always made sure to inspect everything she found – gathering materials and usable items was vital to the rebuilding her team did, and thus scavenging is second nature to her. Aside from the night they spent at the Watering Hole up north, they usually slept either in abandoned buildings or made camp under the stars. Bishop had always been used to traveling alone, but during the past week she has understood the value of having someone to keep watch when you sleep.

On top of the security the Judge’s companionship brought, she was also a _hell of a fighter_. They ran into Highwaymen daily. The Judge could easily hold out her own, but what was surprising was how well the two of them worked together. Even though they rarely spoke – well, _Bishop_ spoke, the Judge had not yet said a word – they seemed to be in perfect sync when push came to shove.

As she cocks the shotgun and gets ready to advance once again, the Judge comes back. Bishop scoots over when she dives behind the same car Bishop is hiding behind.

Bishop takes another careful peek at the enemy, while the Judge reaches for yet another arrow. 

“Nine, two of them high up left of us, three inside the barn, and four on the ground,” she counts out loud.

“I’ll cover you,” Bishop says, then, and in unison they pop up from behind their cover. With her bow, the Judge takes out those further up on the Refinery’s roof, while Bishop provides her with enough time to line up a perfect shot. When Bishop has to reload her shotgun, the Judge makes sure no one gets close enough to overpower them.

Within minutes, it is all over. Bishop slumps back down and leans her back against the car, but the Judge remains standing, giving Bishop time to catch her breath. Once the fighting is over, the two of them fall back to an awkward silence. This is how it has been all week.

Next, they need to find a radio somewhere, to let Prosperity know the Refinery has been taken from the Highwaymen. As Bishop sets out to search the outpost for any weapons or gear, the Judge starts looting the pockets of the dead enemy. Bishop flinches as she sees her pull out arrows from their corpses, splattering blood on her clothes. The Judge does not seem to care.

The last rays of sunshine warm Bishop’s back as she climbs the ladders to the top of the Refinery. She scours the levels with care and finds a working radio halfway up to the top. Prosperity promises to send people immediately, and Bishop tells them she will not be there when they arrive; They are going to look for shelter elsewhere.

The Judge remains a mystery to Bishop, which is why she is hesitant to let her sleep in one of Prosperity’s outposts. Even though Ethan had promised the help of his villagers, in Bishop’s mind there is a nagging doubt that refuses to trust New Eden _or_ the Judge completely. Besides, Bishop has now betrayed Ethan, claiming Joseph Seed now lies dead. Whether lying about his death was a good idea or not, she tries not to think about it.

Bishop climbs back down to the ground and is greeted by the Judge, who hands her a little pouch. Raising her eyebrow, she opens the pouch and finds a ton of bullets and shotgun shells inside. The Judge has emptied the pockets of the Highwaymen from ammo, even though she does not use modern weapons herself. The wooden bow is the only weapon she has seen the Judge use.

“Thanks,” Bishop mutters. “We should get going, find a place to sleep.”

The Judge does not reply, nor does she react at all. Bishop sometimes wonders whether she is simply physically unable to speak. But then again, she had not tried to communicate with Bishop in any other way either, like signing. One would think if the problem was physical, she would find another way to speak her mind. 

“There’s a house south-west from here, it has a little attic we can sleep in,” Bishop says as she takes to walking, and even though she cannot hear her footsteps, she knows the Judge is following her. 

Maybe the Judge stays quiet voluntarily – maybe it is a decision she has made, and she sticks to it. Or maybe, the reason for her silence is not voluntary, nor physical. Perhaps something happened in her past that has left her mind so scarred with trauma that speaking is out of the question.

Maybe, maybe, maybe. Bishop shakes her head to chase away her thoughts. In the end, it is none of her business. Not like she is going to keep the Judge around for long anyway – only long enough to see whether she has ill intents. Also, Bishop had quite liked the look on Ethan’s face when he had realized the Judge was now following Bishop everywhere.

It is the _following_ , that bothers Bishop the most. Even though the Judge stays silent and mostly out of sight, Bishop _knows_ she is there, watching her. Bishop was never into stealth; She preferred powerful and loud weapons, like the shotgun she had gotten back when they had reached New Eden again. Their fight at the Refinery proved, however, that maybe having a sneaky type as a sidekick isn’t such a bad idea, after all.

As they arrive to the house – a guy named Woodson had told Bishop about it – Bishop has reached a decision. She will escort the Judge to Prosperity, but that is it. If Joseph Seed really believes the Judge is more help than a village worth of people, then her place should be in Prosperity.

They quickly scour the area for any hostiles, but the house seems to be completely abandoned. While the Judge has gone searching for firewood like she always does, Bishop enters the house and searches for a way to enter the attic. The upstairs windows have been barred in, and Bishop really has no interest nor energy to start prying them open. Searching through the house takes five minutes, and it takes her ten extra minutes to find the entrance to the attic. She stands in the middle of the room that once was a kitchen, and finally looks up.

“Idiot,” she mutters to herself and uses a shovel to break the wooden planks covering the entrance. The ceiling is too high for her to reach without help, and she finds nothing to stand on that has not been covered in sand.

The Judge enters the room as well, and through the doorway Bishop can see she has managed to start a fire. Since Bishop cannot see the look on Judge’s face nor will she ask Bishop anything, Bishop tries reading her body language. _What are you doing_ , it seems to ask.

“I can’t get up to the attic,” Bishop says and points up to the ceiling. “Did you see anything we could use, like a ladder?”

For once, the Judge responds by shaking her head, and Bishop counts it as a win.

But then, the Judge steps closer, _too close_. Bishop flinches and acts on instinct; She takes a step back, to get some distance between them. The Judge freezes on the spot, and Bishop realizes she has made a mistake.

“Sorry, I, uhm,” Bishop mutters, “You were going to help me up, right?”

The Judge nods, but it is such a small movement Bishop could have missed it were she not paying attention.

“Okay,” Bishop says, and they both move to stand beneath the attic entrance. Bishop raises her foot to the Judge’s gloved hands and uses her as a steppingstone to get a grip of the edge above. Bishop climbs up and the Judge keeps her from falling back down.

Once Bishop is up, she looks back down to the Judge. Maybe she should ask her to join her and help her up. Or would it be better to take turns in who sleeps and who takes watch?

In the end, Bishop does not get to make the decision, because the Judge is not looking up to her and instead goes back to the fire she had started. Relieved, Bishop lets out a sigh and decides to find a suitable place to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

#### The Judge

As the Judge, you know Hope County inside and out; You have been to every corner, to every nook, to every riverbend and cave, and not many things here surprise you anymore. But there are a few places you have avoided entirely for the past ten years.

One of those places if Prosperity. As you trail behind the Captain, you expect your heart to beat out of your chest, and your breath to catch in your throat. However, the old ranch is nothing like the house you remember – the fields around the ranch are long gone, and thick forest spreads everywhere you look.

_Breathe in, breathe out._

The emotions threatening to surface simmer down, but you space out long enough for the Captain to notice. She turns to look at you, and for a fleeting second, she looks like she is about to ask you something.

“Welcome to Prosperity,” she ends up saying, and then hollers to the guard up top to let them in.

The place is unrecognizable. On your left there is a training area, and beside it a garage. The main building and its surrounding areas have been expanded with the use of colorful shipping containers. Children run around the yard and there are people everywhere. Many faces turn to you, some of them out of curiosity towards your mask, no doubt. Some faces are familiar, some are not.

Bishop halts at the top of the steps leading into the main building, and turns to you.

“Wait outside, okay? I’m going to talk to Rush,” she says and disappears through the main doors.

You decide to take a look around, but as if involuntarily, your feet guide you towards the garage. You approach it from the side, as to not scare the mechanic inside. This face looks familiar.

“Can I help you?” Nick Rye asks as he notices you hovering close by. He stops in his tracks as he looks up to your face, _your mask_ , and his right eyebrow crooks up in question.

“Uhm, I guess you’re with Cap? If you need any help with, uhm, _vehicles_ , just let me know, okay? I’ll get you sorted out,” he says and gives you the smallest of smiles, and returns to his task at hand.

Your feet have been nailed to the ground, so you watch him work.


	3. Chapter 3

#### The Deputy

John Seed’s ranch is crawling with peggies on patrol. The Deputy has found a good vantage point on top of a radio tower, and counts 12 guards around the main building, on its balconies and the roof. Behind the house there is another building, which, judging from the nearest vicinity to the airstrip, must be the air hangar. There seems to be nowhere else one would hide a floatplane.

John’s voice carries through the air.

_“Those of you who have been Marked, your Cleansing is upon you. You will embrace the word of Joseph…”_

Dinah snorts. _Marked. Cleansing._ Fancy words for forced recruiting. It looks like John is the one in charge of recruiting new members to the cult, and apparently the Project does not care _who_ they recruit or whether they _want_ to be recruited. It’s fucked up.

As she watches the guards patrol their designated routes around the buildings, Dinah decides to sneak around the entire ranch to the air hangar. She slips her binoculars back to her backpack and sets off. The surrounding areas have plenty of tall grass and bushes to hide in, making sneaking around the building that much easier.

_“Mark the homes of the sinners, save the souls that are worth saving,”_ John’s voice booms louder as Dinah walks by a speaker, _“And kill the rest.”_

She almost stops in her tracks, but once another peggie rounds a corner towards her she dives back into the bushes. Gladly, the peggie doesn’t seem to have noticed her, so Dinah waits until he has passed her position.

Well, there goes the theory of some rogue peggies acting on their own. John Seed _literally_ orders those who refuse the Project to be _killed._ The orders are clear, and the peggies obey without batting an eyelash. For Dinah, the thought makes it easier to take down these bastards. 

Dinah dives from cover to cover – from behind big rocks into flower beds with tall yellow flowers. As she advances, she wonders whether the speech booming over her is a recording. So far, the P.E.G outposts have not been the only ones where you can hear John’s – or even Joseph’s – voice. Some peggies had taken to driving trucks that carry huge speakers blasting either one of the Seeds’ sermons or those infuriating gospel songs giving praise to the project and its leaders. The songs are quite catchy, which makes it even more infuriating.

Quickly scanning the surroundings of the second building, Dinah deduces that direct approach is only going to get her killed. The area in front of the hangar is too open, and the huge doors are guarded by two men. To top it off, snipers patrol on top of what looks to be a control tower. If Dina wants to do this quietly, she is going to have to find another way in.

Retracing her steps back to the other side of the building, she spots two doors on a balcony that can be accessed through a short flight of stairs. The balcony is unguarded, with only one peggie leisurely walking past that side of the building every few minutes. As the guard disappears behind the corner again, Dinah leaves her safe spot behind a wooden shack and heads towards the stairs to the balcony. The first door is right at the top of the stairs, and it is wide open. After taking a quick peek inside, she enters and closes the door behind her.

The hangar is dead quiet. Dinah makes no sound as she walks to the railing of the second floor and looks down. Nick’s yellow Kimberlite is right there, ripe for the taking. Dinah stays still for a few minutes before moving, listening, to make sure no one is around. She then heads downstairs.

A smile tugs at Dinah’s lips as she takes in the airplane. It has eyes and a wide smile painted in the front, and the yellow color sure stands out. Dinah has _never_ in her life flown a plane, but Nick had promised he would walk her through it. Before opening the hangar doors, she climbs in and radios Nick for instructions.

After a quick, idiot-proof crash-course to flying a floatplane Dinah hops back down from the plane to open the doors. But before she has taken a single step away from the plane, Dinah hears a door above her. She spins on her heels as fast as possible and scans the view upstairs. The door she had closed behind her remains that way, and there is no one at the other door either. The wooden floor squeaks underneath shoes, and Dinah hides behind a stack of crates.

“Is there someone here?” someone asks, and Dinah immediately recognizes the voice to belong to John Seed. The radio broadcast of his sermon has stopped, and the only sounds carrying from outside belong to peggies. They have not been alarmed, _yet_.

Seed looks over the railing but fails to see Dinah in her hiding spot. Dinah then listens as his footsteps go around the hangar towards the stairs.

Dinah draws her 1911 and thinks about killing John right here, right now. It would be easy. _Too_ easy. From her position she could easily ambush him before he even drew a weapon. But as Dinah watches him move through the hangar and towards the plane, she can see the _confidence_ oozing out of him. John knows he is safe here, at his ranch. Dinah won’t be able to leave here without drawing attention; If she shoots him now, the guards will storm in and she won’t be able to leave here with the plane. She needs all the time she can get before flying off with it.

As John nears the crates Dinah is hiding behind, she spots the antenna of a walkie-talkie in the pocket of his jacket. It gives her an idea.

She moves as quietly as possible around the crates until she is behind John. John sighs in disgust as he takes in the plane, and then heads towards the door.

John _almost_ manages to shout when Dinah sneaks up behind him, covers his mouth with her hand, and kicks his knees in so he kneels on the floor. He tries to wiggle himself free, but stops when he can feel the barrel of her gun against the base of his neck.

“You’re short, John,” she leans down to speak to him, “Is that what you’re trying to compensate with your religious bullshit, or is it something else?”

John _laughs_ against her palm, and then stills enough that Dinah trusts he will stay calm. She removes her hand.

“Deputy,” he greets with malicious glee in his voice, dragging out the _tee_. When he tries to face Dinah, she gives him a warning by pressing the muzzle deeper into his neck. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Nick Rye.”

John snorts, “Of course.”

“You’re going to tell your people to disperse, so I can take off with the plane,” she tells him while fumbling his pocket for the walkie-talkie.

“And what makes you think I’d do that?” John grunts, “One word from me is all they need to storm in.”

Dinah leans in closer, so close that her lips almost graze his ear. Her voice is but a whisper. “Because If I kill you now, it’ll be over so silently they won’t find your rotting body until I’m far gone.”

Adrenaline is pumping in her ears. If he calls Dinah’s bluff now, it will be over for her.

But instead of raising his voice, John lets out the breath he has been holding. Dinah raises the radio next to his face and opens the line for him.

“My faithful,” he addresses the peggies and Dinah rolls her eyes, “You are dismissed for the night. Tomorrow we will baptize the marked, so gather your strength.”

She closes the connection to tell him: “Tell them you’ll be taking the plane,” and turns the connection back on.

“I’ll be taking this yellow… _monstrosity_ out for a flight tonight,” he adds with grimace, and Dinah takes the talkie away from him before he can say anything more.

Several replies sound through the talkie with _yeses_ and _brother Johns_ and _thank yous_. Then, Dinah straightens up, drops the talkie on the ground and steps on it. It breaks with a satisfying crunch under her heel.

Dinah realizes she is in an ideal situation right now; _She could take John hostage_. He is already under her thumb, she has her means of escape, and the peggies wouldn’t realize _brother_ John’s disappearance until morning. Or even better, she could kill him right now.

But as she listens to the chatter of the peggies outside sound further and further away, she also briefly fails to pay attention to John. In that moment, John reaches his hand behind his back, grabs onto Dinah’s wrist and twists it painfully. Dinah gasps in pain and drops the handgun, but she doesn’t waste time gawking at what has happened. As John turns and is trying to get up on his feet, she projects a powerful knee to meet his jaw. It isn’t enough to break or dislocate, but it does stagger John off balance. Before running towards the hangar door release, she throws a final punch at John’s lower stomach, strong enough to have him topple over.

By the time the pain in John’s midsection has eased enough for him to look up, Dinah has already turned the key in the plane’s ignition. As the plane nudges forward – thanks to her inexperience – she bids John farewell by flipping him a finger.


	4. Chapter 4

#### The Captain

Whenever the Captain of Security returns to Prosperity, Kim Rye always welcomes her with a wide, warm smile. Kim turns away from the work she has been doing with Bean, and her expression instantly makes Bishop feel at ease.

“You wouldn’t happen to have any spare clothes I could use?” Bishop asks after accepting a brief hug.

“Of course,” she says and leads Bishop out of Bean’s “office” and down the stairs to the courtyard. “There’s a storage room downstairs with all the spare clothing we have gathered. We don’t have much, but I’m sure there’s something for you too.”

“Thank you,” Bishop says, and is about to take her leave when Kim stops her.

“You know,” she says with a scrunched nose and furrowed brows. “You _stink_. Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll go find something for you to wear?”

“Is it that bad?”

“Oh yeah,” Kim laughs. “I don’t think I want you anywhere near all the clean clothes.”

Kim shows her to the bathrooms in the basement, next to a room that looks like an old private gym. Bishop remembers seeing gym equipment up top in the courtyard, which means the room itself has been repurposed as a clothing storage. Hangers upon hangers with clothes varying from tank tops to winter coats dangle from the bars on the wall, and the rest have been folded neatly on the tables or into boxes in the corner.

Bishop discards her bag and clothes on the floor of a small locker room and steps into the showers. After the scorching heat outside, the cool water feels almost unbearably cold against her skin. For a long while she just stands there, letting the water cool her body down. Once the shivers come, she turns the knob for warmer water, but the water pressure only goes down. She turns the knob back to cold, remembering how someone had said they don’t bother heating up the water during the summer.

After quickly but thoroughly washing herself up, she steps back to the dressing room. Kim is there to meet her with a gray towel – which probably once was white, judging by the unevenness of the color – and a pile of clothes. Bishop accepts the towel, quickly dries her cropped hair and wraps it around herself.

“Your old shirt looks like it’s been through war,” Kim says when Bishop picks it up from the floor. Both Bishop’s jacket and her shirt had taken damage in a battle earlier, but while the jacket is of rather durable material, the hole on the shirt has spread like a wildfire. “I don’t think it’s worth trying to save it.”

“I guess it has been through war,” Bishop smiles as she pulls out a clean sports bra and trunks from her bag. “Can I leave you with the jacket? It’s so hot outside that carrying it around is just a pain.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll make sure it’s fixed once you get back.”

Bishop’s own cargo pants are still in good shape, but they are also very warm in this weather. She takes a moment to weigh the pros and cons of wearing such warm pants. On one hand, shorter or lighter trousers would make movement a lot more easier; On the other hand, Bishop has found herself kneeling on the ground more than once, and in situations like that wearing heavy-duty cargo pants would be the obvious choice. She tells Kim as much, and pulls her own cargos back on.

“I found these,” Kim says, then. She puts the clothes down on the bench and eyes Bishop’s upper body, sizing her up. “However, I’m not entirely sure they’re your size. It looks like we’re a little low on clean shirts with the heat and all.”

Bishop nods and tries them on one by one. The shirts are either too tight at the shoulders, or they keep riding up, showing Bishop’s midriff. The last one she tries on isthe is so big and loose it reaches her knees.

“It’s more like a dress, huh?” Kim says, hiding a laughter as Bishop frowns at the mirror. “And the others are cut way too petite for you, even though you do look like you’ve missed a meal or two.”

Bishop resists rolling her eyes, and nods. It’s not that she really cares about what kind of clothes she wears, but ease of movement is very important to her.

“You know, I might have something more in my quarters,” Kim says, then, and from her earnest expression Bishop understands just how much Kim is enjoying this. The wrinkles between her brows are barely visible and her shoulders are relaxed. Maybe menial matters like Bishop’s clothes feels like a day off for Kim Rye.

So, Bishop plays along.

Kim takes the lead, once again, and takes Bishop upstairs to a small bedroom. The room belongs to the entire Rye family, with a single bed that has been pushed next to a bunk bed. Carmina undoubtedly sleeps in the top bunk.

“Both me and Carmina are way too small for our clothes to fit you,” Kim states the obvious as she opens a plastic moving box in the corner and digs in. “But I was wondering whether Nick has anything that…”

Kim seems to entirely forget what she was saying, as she finds something at the bottom of the box. Bishop edges closer and watches as Kim carefully uncovers it and dusts it off. In her hands she holds a green button-up shirt with a collar and long sleeves. Bishop raises an eyebrow.

Ignoring her puzzled expression, Kim tells her to try it on. Bishop does as she is told, pulls the shirt on and buttons it up. As she fixes the collar in front of the mirror, Kim joins her by her side to take in the sight in the mirror.

“Fits you perfectly,” Kim says with a small smile.

“The sleeves are a little long, though,” Bishop says as she rolls them up. Even though the shirt looks heavy, the fabric seems to be durable and breathable.

The front of the shirt and the sleeves have faded patches on it. One of them resembles a badge of some kind. Another patch is clearly a name tag.

“Castle?” Bishop reads. “Who was that?”

“Rook,” Kim says, focusing on smoothing out wrinkles from the shoulders of the shirt.

“ _Rook?_ As in _the deputy_ you told me about the other night?” Bishop asks, shocked, and turns to face Kim. “Rook wasn’t her real name?”

“When they arrived – the sheriff and the marshal and their deputies – she was referred to as _rookie_ by the others. I don’t know whether she really _was_ a rookie, but I guess the name stuck,” Kim says, fondly. “Nick called her Dep, no matter what.”

A million questions dance on Bishop’s tongue, but the look in Kim’s eyes stops her from prying. The way she looks at Bishop is making her feel a little uncomfortable. That there is no way she deserves to wear it.

“I can’t accept this, Kim,” she says, “It obviously holds great emotional value to you, and to others as well I bet. I can’t…”

“Look,” Kim stops her with a stern voice. “It’s been unused and _unseen_ in that trunk for years. It’s a miracle it’s in such a good condition, really. This shirt should be _used_ , not stored.”

Bishop takes another look at the mirror, and wistfully thinks about the symbolism behind wearing the shirt.

One night, before Bishop had departed for New Eden, Kim had sat her down and told her about the events prior to the Collapse. Deputy Castle had been the savior of Hope County, she had been the one who could be credited for freeing the entire county from the grip of the Seed family. People spoke of _Rook_ in a respectful tone. Parents now told their children stories about Rook, and Bishop had heard her name spoken in pep talks.

“What happened to her? In the end?” Bishop finally asks, her voice quiet, as if prying about the Rook’s past is something forbidden. Something sacred.

Kim’s smile is sad, but kind, when she says, “She died. In the Collapse. She was… Nick says she got into a car with the other deputies, and the sheriff… and Joseph Seed.”

Bishop’s eyes widen.

“Joseph Seed is the only one who got in that car and lived to see life after the Collapse,” Kim says. There is no sadness in her voice, only anger. Her voice softens, though, when she continues: “You know, when I gave birth to Carmina, Rook was the one who drove us to the midwife. She was Carmina’s godparent.”

Several puzzle pieces lock into place. So, _this_ is why Kim hates Joseph Seed so much. Not only did he terrorize the entire county _and_ survive the Collapse, he also took away someone very dear to the Ryes. The shirt feels heavy on Bishop’s shoulders.

“Are you sure…” Bishop starts her question and finishes it by pointing at the shirt. 

“Yes, absolutely,” Kim says with a firm nod. She straightens herself up, as if swimming back to the surface – from the depths of the past, back to the present. As if Bishop inheriting the Rook’s old shirt is the one thing she is sure of.

“I don’t think there’s anyone else more deserving to wear that shirt, but you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I reread the chapters I'd already posted and chapter 3 makes me cringe......... It doesn't have the Deputy feel to it that I wanted, and the writing is just awkward. So, I might return to it and touch it up a little, but I'll let you know if I do any changes. Most likely I'll just be polishing the writing itself, and the plot will stay the same. Anywayyyyyy here's three more chapters!


	5. Chapter 5

#### The Judge

Midday sun scorches the Prosperity, its walls preventing wind to pass through and cool it down. The children running around wear short sleeved shirts and short trousers, and even Nick has loosened his attire to mere t-shirt and shorts. Summer is just around the corner.

You can feel the sweat drops forming on your neck and back. If you were inside New Eden’s walls you would not have hesitated in taking off the jacket. But since it is the Prosperity’s walls surrounding you now, taking off your jacket would mean leaving your arms entirely without protection. Besides, the jacket also adds onto your anonymity – it is thick enough to hide any signs of gender.

Nick’s garage provides some shade while you wait for the Captain. You have occupied a lone stool in the corner of the garage, while Nick continues to haul salvageable parts from a rusty car. He sneaks glances in your direction every now and then, but all you can read from his intentions is curiosity. He does not view you as a threat. And as long as he remains unaware of your identity, he will remain that way.

The heat lulls you into a false sense of security, so you rest the back of your head against the wall and close your eyes for a bit. Your thoughts drift back to cooler days of winter and to the winds of early spring.

A loud clashing sound snaps you back to the reality. You have jumped up to your feet before your eyes have even opened to find the source of the sound. Nick has dropped a metal pail filled with junk on the garage floor.

“ _Dep?”_ he asks then, and the sound of it is too familiar.

You almost spin around and make a run for it. Your instincts are telling you to flee, but your feet are telling you to stay. Your heart seems to beat out of your chest and you’re feeling the urge to tear away your mask in order to breathe easier. Slowly rationality comes back to you, however, so you can analyze the situation.

Nick is not looking at you, so he must not be talking to you. You take a few steps to the side to see past him, and that is when you spot the Captain. She is wearing the green shirt of a deputy’s uniform. Patches and all. The name tag in the front reads _Castle_.

“Kim gave it to me,” Bishop says apologetically. “She insisted.”

“No, it, uhm,” Nick stumbles in his words, and then coughs into his fist. “It suits you. Just haven’t seen that in a while, ‘s all.”

Bishop’s smile is awkward. Uncomfortable, even.

“You can take a shower downstairs if you want,” she turns to tell you, then, and you take note of her damp hair. You haven’t used an _actual_ shower in years, but the cool water sounds like an irresistible idea.

“Have you seen Rush? I need to talk to him,” she asks Nick.

When Nick answers, his eyes are drilling holes on the name tag of Bishop’s shirt, but Bishop is doing her best to ignore it. “He’s with Robert, I think.”

“Thanks.”

You follow Bishop to the front of the main building, where she stops and opens the door for you.

“Just head through the doors to the right and down the stairs. You can…” she seems a little hesitant about what she is about to say. “There was a key in the lock so you can lock the door while you shower. You know… For privacy.”

Which translates to _so no one can see your face_. You nod.

“See you later, then,” she then says and leaves without meeting your eyes. Bishop has already turned her back to you when you raise your hand for a little wave.

As you thread through the old ranch, you keep your focus on where you are heading. There is no need to take in the sights. No need to dwell on the past. On what this place used to be. What used to happen here. What it represents. When you descend down the stairs to the basement, you think about the Captain’s concern for your privacy. As if she actually _cares_.

All the thoughts crossing through your mind simmer down when you lock the dressing room door and get the opportunity to peel out of your heavy clothes. And the last of the remaining worries disappear when the bliss of the cold water rains down on your scalp, your face, your body.


	6. Chapter 6

#### The Deputy

The Rye residence has become a safe haven for Dinah. That’s where she returns to when she needs a good night’s sleep, or a shower, or food. Anything, really. When she parks the car in front of their house, Kim is always there to meet her at the porch – a shotgun in hand, of course, because you can never know who it is that comes knocking – and when she recognizes Dinah she always has a smile on her face.

After a warm meal – the first one Dinah has had in days – she takes a shower and changes into a big t-shirt Kim has prepared for her for the night. While she sleeps on the living room couch, Kim washes her clothes. And when Dinah wakes up early in the morning, she finds a new set of clothes has been set out for her. A brown leather jacket – apparently Nick’s, judging by the Rye & Sons logo on the sleeve – and a gray t-shirt. Next to them is Dinah’s green uniform shirt, washed and folded.

Being a deputy is all Dinah knows. She had rolled into the program as soon as she had finished high school, wanting to do good. Her late father had been elected as the county sheriff, and he had always been favored by the people. For her, nothing had seemed more honorable.

Truth had been different. Dinah graduated from the academy at the age of 23 and when she did, she had been working part-time at the local sheriff’s office for a few years already. Aside from work, she had little time for anything else. She saw the law _everywhere_ , and her mind was wired into finding the tiniest mistakes people could make. When she thought of her father, she was afraid he wouldn’t have been proud of her.

A little after the tenth anniversary of her father’s death Dinah shot at her fellow officer. At that time, she was constantly anxious, on high-alert day and night. She had stopped eating, and she eventually cut ties to her family and the little friends she had left. Wanting to quit was constantly on her mind, but for her there was nothing else in life. Being a police officer had been all she had thought about ever since childhood. Seeing her partner refuse to threaten a clearly innocent teenager had been the final straw that made her snap.

The fellow officer suffered minor injuries. However, threatening the life of a police officer was the worst infringement she could have done. She had been fired and banned from working in law enforcement within that state. Dinah had hit the low point in her life.

She tried out different jobs, but her anxiety and bad temper caused her either to quit the job or get fired. As a final call for help, she applied for sheriffs’ offices around the country, hoping some place would look at her record through the fingers.

Only one did. By the time she had accepted the position of a junior deputy and moved to Hope County at 27, she had had nothing left to lose. The only way had been up.

At dawn, after a long debate, Dinah leaves the Rye’s wearing a new set of clothes. The green deputy’s shirt remains on the armrest of the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here have an infodump about the deputy Dinah Castle! *gives you this chapter*


End file.
